Kari Bruffett is assistant secretary for Policy and External Affairs at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

She joined the agency in January 2011.

She has a background in health policy and government affairs, including eight years working at the University of Kansas Hospital and four years on Capitol Hill.

She is an alumna of Fort Hays State University. Her first career was as a print journalist. She lives in Shawnee with her husband and two daughters.

Bruffett is a co-founder with Amanda Adkins of the Eisenhower Excellence in Public Service Series. The group includes the wives of some of the state's most prominent Republican officials including Mary Brownback, Robba Moran and Susan Pompeo.